Spending time with God is much more than reading a Bible passage or saying a perfunctory, repetitive prayer. It is about developing a relationship with the One who loves you the most and Who holds your life in His hands. It is getting to know your Best Friend.
In a fast-paced world, carving out consistent time to spend with God can be challenging especially if one is not discipline. This is also true when thing are going well, difficult times are motivating factors to pray.
Distractions and demands from different directions compete for our attention and incorrectly make an invisible God less of a priority. However, for the Christian, spending time with God is not an option.
Jesus, our example, spent a lot of time with God through prayer. He would sometimes get up early to pray, and at other times He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). Even for God’s Son, time with His Father was essential to know God’s will and get empowered to do it.
If you want a closer relationship with God and to know His plan for your life, then you have to spend time with Him. How would a husband and wife relationship or any relationship develop without spending time together? It is not possible.
The good news is that weaving time with God into your day is a lot easier than you may think. However, spending time with Him has to be intentional and guarded. If not, cell phones, wandering thoughts and social media are waiting in the wings to make sure your plan is disrupted.
Therefore, below are a few tips to help you develop a plan to spend more time with God and get the strength you need for daily success.
1. Wake up early
Get up before anyone in the house so that you can have uninterrupted time alone with God. If it takes you a few moments to get yourself together, incorporate that time into your schedule. Make yourself comfortable. If you are a coffee drinker, make you a pot, smell the aroma and drink from your favorite mug.
Then, prepare to read the Bible, pray, talk to God and listen to Him. This does not have to be a long time. Just 15 minutes a day for starters will help you discipline yourself and make God a priority.
2. Guard and protect the time that you have set aside to spend with God
Turn the cell phone off or put it into airplane mode. The phone calls will have to wait. If you see notifications from any social media platforms, don’t click on them. You may be tempted to read one notification, but before you know it, 30 minutes of reading stories, comments and messages have gone by. If helpful, remove those icons from your desktop so you won’t be tempted to click on them.
3. You can spend time with God by listening to worship music or a sermon
While you are getting dressed, or driving to work, turn to your favorite music station or put a sermon in the CD player in your vehicle. God says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). In other words, when you hear Scripture through a song or sermon, it can increase your faith. In turn, that can lead to a stronger relationship with God.
4. Spending time with God should not be viewed as a chore
While it is an obligation, it can certainly be interesting and fun. Keep a prayer journal, then reread it sometimes to see the prayers that God has answered and the progress made on others. Decorate your prayer area with all your favorites so that it will be a pleasant place to come to every morning.
Look forward to learning something new about God or getting a new revelation on something you never knew.
5. Lastly, listen to God.
After you’ve prayed and thanked God for His goodness, be quiet and still. Give God an opportunity to speak to you. When Jesus prayed to His Father, He received instructions and clarification, then knew what to do. Many believers in the Bible did the same.
Learning about someone who loves you more than you will ever know should not be tedious. It is something that should be treasured and the equivalent of a new spiritual adventure every day. Just as electronics have to plugged into an electrical source to work, Christians must be plugged into their Source for empowerment to overcome the challenges of the day.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you that you want a relationship with us. You want to spend quality time with us. You wish to tell us things that we do not know. You want to instruct us in the way that we should go. Please help me to make you my top priority every morning and stay in tune with you throughout my day. I want more of you, and want to do your will your way. Thank you for answering this prayer in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.